Whether in Davis Square or beyond, sometimes it’s refreshing to get a break from Dewick and Carmichael. I’m Parker, a sophomore who admittedly spends an unhealthy amount of time searching for tasty Boston restaurants. This column will hopefully provide some must (or must not) stops in the Boston area.
Nestled among the pubs and taverns that dot the side street between Boston Public Market and Faneuil Hall lies Saus, a Belgian-inspired eatery. On a Friday afternoon, a friend and I venture into the small restaurant after picking up veggies at nearby Haymarket, a sprawling outdoor market that is open from dawn to dusk on Fridays and Saturdays.
We walk into the narrow, casual room filled with about 10 small, wooden tables and benches and head for the counter in the back. I stare up at the black chalkboard that asserts “Everything is made from scratch in house. Except for what isn’t (which ain’t much).” The menu, scrawled in various colors, boasts poutine and pommes frites, along with sandwiches and sweets. Though the restaurant is famous for its poutine, as a vegetarian, I opt instead for an order of the pommes frites. There are 13 side dipping sauces for 75 cents each to accompany the hand-cut fries. My friend and I choose the Cheddar Duvel (a cheddar and ale sauce) and the Truffle Ketchup. Ana, my friend, asks for an employee’s advice and ultimately decides on a herb-roasted chicken sandwich. I instantly have eyes only for the “CBJ” sandwich, a warm hoagie filled with jam, bananas and cookie butter. If you don’t know what cookie butter is, it’s essentially peanut butter made from crushed Bischoff cookies rather than peanuts.
We get a small, two-person table and wait for our names to be called. Alternative music plays softly throughout the restaurant. We sit beneath framed comic book pages and posters from “The Adventures of Tintin” (1972-1976). Next to us a couple splits an order of the poutine and a Belgian waffle. The small room is filled with cheerful chatter and the smell of fries and we excitedly await our food.
When our name is called, Ana eagerly bites into her sandwich. She blindly followed the cashier’s advice, and, therefore, is slightly surprised to find apple slaw and pickles next to her chicken. Though she likes the different flavors, she ultimately concludes the sandwich is “good, not great,” and that it is lacking a punch of flavor. My cookie butter sandwich is just as wonderful as I anticipated. That said, the pommes frites definitely steal the show. The dipping sauces are rich and compliment the crispy fries perfectly. The meal is not overpriced, $8.50 for a sandwich and $5.50 for a regular order of fries, which was the perfect size for two to share.
We determine that the restaurant, which was featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” (2006-present), is worth the trip. An outing to Saus promises superb fries at fair prices in one of Boston’s coolest neighborhoods. The restaurant is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and is perfect for your late night fry fix or for an afternoon expedition into the city.
